Meriel was amazed by the halls of the elves. He hadn’t expected such great architecture, but the elves managed to do a lot with just wood. The halls were carved into, and shapes of animals, trees, and other symbols were placed right in his eyesight, wherever he looked. An elk that seemed to be jumping out of the wall was the most amazing of all, at least according to Meriel.

  The guards took him from one hall to the other, never stopping, not even for an inspection of equipment. The two guards behind Meriel and Aurelia gave them a wide berth, letting them choose the pace of the small group. They began ascending the giant spiral stairs located in one of the corners of the treehouse, and Meriel was almost breathless once again. It was gorgeous. He looked up and saw how the stairs formed into a spiral that became smaller and smaller as he went up. It created a sense of vertigo, but it was so gorgeous that Meriel couldn't stop looking.

  They were ornamented too, of course, and the bottoms of the stairs weren't even all made from the same type of wood—or at least he believed so because there were so many shapes that he didn't reckon it possible.

  They stopped at the second floor and began walking back to the center of the tree once again. There were more guards here but also more officials now, easy to distinguish because instead of wearing the same armor as the guards in front of them, they wore tight-fit tunics that seemed to offer no protection whatsoever. Instead, they focused on bringing out the anatomy of the elves—their snatched waists, long legs, strange skin and so forth.

  A giant portal stood in front of Meriel instead of a door, and four more guards stood on the side, looking at Meriel with keen interest in their eyes. He ignored their looks and focused on the path ahead, looking beyond the portal into the room.

  An older elf sat on the throne in front of a giant table, stacks of wooden tablets lying around everywhere. Meriel had forgotten that elves used these instead of paper, but honestly, he kind of thought they would have moved beyond the practice in the last century.

  How they made any sense of what was what and how they stored these in any conventional way made Meriel's head spin. Old-fashioned wouldn't even begin to describe it, but that was how the elves were, he supposed. Always rooted in their traditions, refusing to move to anything new that they didn't particularly like. It was one of Elsa's main gripes was when she first left them for human society. It was still quite shocking that she decided to return to her roots after their Delver party disbanded.

  The older man lifted his eyes from whatever he was reading and his eyebrows rose as he registered Aurelia and Meriel. He was wearing the same green tunic as most of the elves outside this room. Although his own was quite a bit more eccentric—emblazoned with red and blue gems, gold trimmings around the sleeves and the front part. The sash used to tie the tunic was also a different color, probably showing the rank of the official if Meriel had to guess.

  With a nod of his head, he inclined for the guards to move them forward, and then they all stood behind them. Meriel felt as if he was in front of a noble after doing something he shouldn’t have done, and he wasn't quite uncomfortable, truth be told. But he bit through it and, looking at Aurelia, it seemed that she didn't give a single damn about their current situation, which calmed him even more. It wasn't like most of these people could hurt him in any way, but he still preferred to go about doing things in a non-violent way whenever possible.

  "So, I assume you're the man who rode the dragon in here, and this is your companion?" The older elf said, looking between them as he stroked his long, wide beard.

  "My name is Meriel the mage, and this is Aurelia, one of my servants, and the dragon your soldiers have seen in the city." Meriel bowed his head slightly, acknowledging the elf’s assessment. He didn’t bow deep, for this wasn't his king, nor did he respect the mayor in any significant way, but showing respect was basic courtesy he was willing to give.

  "Oh, so what is the reason for your visit inside our beautiful city?" The elf said, exchanging one of the wooden tablets in front of him for another. His eyes moved back onto the work he was doing before Meriel arrived.

  "I came in search of someone, and I suppose there would be nowhere better to ask than here."

  "So you disrupt the daily operations of my town, alert all of the guards, and you possibly made several of my citizens faint just so you could ask a question." The elf rolled his eyes, his eyebrows shooting down a little though his voice didn't carry a hint of anger.

  "I suppose so, when you say it like that. My apologies," Meriel said, and he meant it. He could have chosen a less direct path, but he simply didn't have the time and didn't have the patience anymore. If he had to choose, he would do it again.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  "Well, stuff happens." The man shook his head and once again replaced one of the wooden tablets with another. "So what are you looking for? Out with it so we can get you on your way. I need to calm the citizens. We’ve got minutes before someone comes asking questions."

  Meriel considered if they wouldn't even know of Elsa, but she was legendary back when they traveled together. Not as much as the fighters of the group, yes, but still a person of much renown, someone worth knowing. He swallowed, and asked. "I came searching for Elsa Bluewing, an alchemist that left the Elven lands a century ago. She's a half-elf." Meriel said rapidly, looking around at the Elven guards, trying to gauge whether there seemed to be any hint of recognition. Some of them did seem a bit confused, but not all of them. He looked back at the official, and the man was shaking his head.

  "That half-elf? She's not in the city, but I know of her." Once again he replaced the wooden tablet. "But I don't now see much reason for me to tell you the location of one of our Kingdom's people of importance. Her location is secret. She requested as much when she retired three decades ago." He finally let the tablet down and looked Meriel straight in the eye. "Why should I share this secret with you? That's my question."

  "Because I know her, and she knows me!" Meriel replied immediately, and stepped forward just for some of the guards to step forward in turn. Aurelia gave them a warning glance, and some of them swallowed, but Meriel respect to them, for they didn't take a step back, since they held their ground. All of them knew who she really was. Either they were stupidly loyal or outright suicidal.

  Meriel looked back at the mayor, not stepping any closer. "If you have any way to contact her, ask her or tell her that Meriel the mage came to see her, then she will know of me."

  "How would I contact her, young man? Also, how could you possibly know her? All of you human things live for barely half a century or so. She’s been in Egoros for a century now."

  "That is not of your concern, sir. But I do—"

  "Silence!" He ordered, raising his hand, still looking right into his eyes. "You have no way of verifying your claims, and therefore I will not grant your wish."

  "But how could I possibly show you proof? All of it is from a century ago." Meriel opposed the official. He didn't feel scared about the possibility of not meeting her. He would walk out of the room with the knowledge of where she was, or these elves wouldn't walk away at all.

  He felt tired of this. And angry. It seemed as if everything and everyone was set on keeping him and Elsa apart. No longer.

  [Force Push - Level 80 - Activated]

  The guards behind Meriel flew away like dust in the wind, hitting the wall behind with thuds and grunts. He didn't use that much force, just enough for the effect. The bead of sweat on the Mayor's brow told him that it was at least somewhat successful.

  "I think he's telling the truth, Mr. Mayor." One of the guards said. A woman he didn't recognize, one he didn't see before. How was she not pushed away, Meriel didn't know, but she was one of those who were in the room already by the time he arrived. Her voice stopped the guards from drawing their weapons, at least for now.

  "Hmm, and why so?” The mayor's voice cracked.

  "Because Elsa mentioned the name Meriel a lot, Mr. Mayor. She mentioned him almost every day back when she returned, and she still mentions him at least once a week. I think whoever he is, he made an impression on her."

  The mayor scratched his beard once again and looked at Meriel with something else in his pale blue eyes. Meriel forced himself to relax, and nodded appreciatively at the woman guard.

  "Well, and do we have any way of verifying that this is the Meriel who he speaks of? If he were human, then he would have been dead already."

  "I created a dragon. Tell me of another human mage who could do so?" Meriel immediately replied, pointing at Aurelia, who had her arms placed in front of her. A short wave of shock rippled through the room, the fact he created her having a visible effect.

  Meriel saw how stressed she was, the way she looked from one person to another, the way her chest rose up and down rapidly. He'd have to calm her down soon. Her former calmness disappeared like the last snow in front of the sun.

  "I have the means to survive for centuries, I assure you, and Elsa would recognize me at first glance. I promise you this much." He added calmly and waited for them to answer.

  The woman guard who spoke before only nodded, looking at the mayor with the same expectant expression as Meriel. It was out of his hands now. It's not like they could do much to stop a dragon anyway.

  The mayor shook his head and told the guard to step closer. "Malika, you take him to Evermoor, to Elsa's residence. Is that satisfactory?"

  Meriel had no idea where this Evermoor was, but he nodded. Excitement was bubbling up in his head, so vivid that he could barely contain it. Finally, after centuries of imagining her face, of replaying his favorite memories with her, he would get to see her. His mouth felt dry like sandpaper from that realization. How would he explain his disappearance?

  The elf, Malika, sighed but saluted the mayor and turned to Meriel. "Evermoor is on the easternmost border of Egoros," she said. She looked at Aurelia, looking her up and down, and then back at Meriel. "I do not know how fast your servant flies, but I assume we could get there tomorrow."

  He nodded. Sleep could come later, but they’d travel through the night if it was that far away. "Good enough. Let us be on our way."